I've noticed that lately I've started critiquing more and more photos and not posting them as much.

What seems to be happening however is that I'm learning more doing this than I was posting constantly looking for input. I was so concerned with what other people might write that I didn't really concentrate on the shot.

Now after looking and critiquing photos, I have my own thoughts in the back of my head on what I can do to make improvements.

Just another way to look at it I suppose, but if you feel you aren't able to critique other peoples work because you are new to the hobby, please think again! Photography as an art means that there are no set rules, only guidelines - so the more input we can get, the better we'll all become.

If you can't critically analyze somebody else's shot, you probably can't analyze your own work very well either. It's good exercise to improve your photography even when you're not shooting. Remember, photography is all about the developing your eye, whether you're seeing through a viewfinder or just viewing on the computer screen.

I agree with both of you!
Also a good trick is to delibratly take a look at photos of things you don't normally look at/take photos of and give them a go as well. Its really interesting not only for yourself but also for the photographer since they are not getting a view from a difference source.

Eg this:

normally something like that in a forum will be commented on by people who already like the effect or like butterflies in general so they automatically have a liking for the shot. However take someone with no liking for it or who has limited/no experience of macro shooting and you can get some very different (often rather demanding) views on the image instead.
It starts to help give you a more whole view of the image than just having the fans look at it

If you can't critically analyze somebody else's shot, you probably can't analyze your own work very well either. It's good exercise to improve your photography even when you're not shooting. Remember, photography is all about the developing your eye, whether you're seeing through a viewfinder or just viewing on the computer screen.

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Great perspective. I like critiquing other stuff for 2 reasons - it gives me a chance to think critically & objectively about photos and I can remind myself to keep those comments in mind when doing my own stuff. It also gives me an opportunity to hear others' comments on my critiques. I might say something that others disagree with and I can learn from that too.

I don't post my comments THAT often, though, because I still feel insecure about my abilities. :blushing: